Siriusly, brother?
by kyabrazul
Summary: Sirius 13, Regulus 12/13. Regulus brings some friends to Grimmauld Place during the summer holiday. Things get a little - confusing. Short little humor fic with a brotherly feels/sirius!angst near the end.


That one time, during the summer, when Regulus brought a few of his Slytherin buddies around and Sirius' mum insisted he introduce himself as a _proper_ pureblooded heir, and that one glorious moment when (due to the fact that it is the black house the young black must go by first name to avoid confusion). Takes place before Sirius' 4th year.

A disgruntled and reluctant "I'm Sirius." with a hand thrust negligently forward. He honestly didn't pay attention to most of the younger snakes, they were all designated "too young," according to Remus; who had insisted - since that _one_ time in second year - that anyone below their own year level was to be "off limits." So, despite the fact that he had spent a solid two years attending boarding school with them, he had mostly just blurred the younger snakes together. An unacknowledged effort of avoiding the horror of _his_ little brother being one of _them_.

The wiry youth with a twisting smile, which could be both playful curled and cruel sneer - Sirius was leaning toward cruel, what with the Slytherin sorting and all - proffered his hand and drawled out, "I'm Nott." Understandably forgoing the inclusion of his more casual first name to make it clear he had no intention of closing the gap of social distance between the _glorified Gryffindor prankster_ and his respectable Slytherin self.

Sirius paused for all of half a second before his eyes sparked and the pinched blank expression his face previously sported was dashed away by a mischievous quirk of both lips and brow. He grasped the boys hand firmly in his saying, "Yes, well, at least I'm Sirius."

The Slytherin youth seemed to tense, as if his muscles had stiffened to turn his body toward Regulus with a look of askance to twist his blank demeanor, but the move had been aborted before any skewing rotation could occur. There was a moment's eye contact between the two - surrounded by Lady Black, a put-upon Regulus, another as-of-yet-un-introduced Slytherin, and the ostentation of the noble and Most-Ancient House of Black in the entryway - and then Nott seemed to solidify into his stance once more, a relaxed but wary pose. Still grasping the Black heir's hand, he responded with a measured  
"But I'm Nott."

Sirius' face seemed to glow with internal cheer as he spared a brief glance and wink towards his brother, a silent _"Slytherin, but still my brother, if __this__ is your friend,"_ and, not letting go of their handshake, raised his left hand to clasp the Slytherin boy's shoulder. "Good to know you're Nott." Followed by a nod and a genial "Sirius." as he pumped their clasped hands once.

Sirius saw, out of the corner of his eye, as it finally dawned on Regulus what, exactly, was happening. The slight change in stance and body language signaled a sort of resigned, if baffled, defeat. The audible sighing exhale the only indication of the self-recrimination likely occurring within his little brother's mind. There was a huff from behind him and Sirius' grin did anything but falter as his mother let out an exasperated "That's enough now, you're well and done."

Nott, gaze still locked on Sirius' face, seemed to ignore the matriarch as he stated a firm "Well? I'm Nott."

And Sirius, lowering his left hand from it's place on the lad's shoulder, but still engaged in the handshake, seemed to hold in a bit of a chortle before saying: "Yes mother, it isn't done, I'm Sirius."

Nott's lips twitched, and the twisting of lips grew more defined, a solid smirk taking form, followed by a relaxed: "And I'm Nott."

Regulus heaved an even louder sigh at this point. The still-un-introduced Slytherin seemed to have missed the memo, for he piped in with an exasperated: "C'mon then, you've said your bit. Stop being ludicrous, the both of you, and be serious. We've all got things to do today that don't involve repetitive introductions."

Regulus seemed to groan, though most sound was muffled by the hand he had splayed across his face to block out the scene to come.

Sirius, if possible, had an even zanier twinkle in his eyes as he, still holding the hand shake, glanced at the lad. "I am being Sirius, I've never been anything but Sirius, you're the only one acting ludicrous."

Nott turned his head slightly, and spoke towards his housemate without breaking his eyes from Sirius' face. "Yes, and I'm Nott, you should know that." His lips quirked down into a frown at this, affecting disappointment and rejection.

A clearly audible sighing moan issued from Regulus' lips and he seemed to throw in the towel of propriety. Grasping Nott's left hand and motioning towards the stairs with his head to his other, rather confused, friend, he pulled on the hand in his grasp and dragged Nott toward the stairs.

Nott was forced to walk at an awkward, backwardsy-sideways angle up the stairs, and the sound of Regulus' disgruntled mutterings about "know(ing) better" and how "Gryffindors taint everyone" and how "big brothers _always_ break your things" followed the trio up the stairs.

Sirius, self-satisfied and grinning, turned toward his mother, who was watching the retreating boys with a slight frown on her face. As her gaze lowered to her eldest son, a scowl replaced the once softer confused features and her face began to redden. "Horrible boy, you've been such a ignoble example for poor little Regulus that he's forgotten his manners! He didn't even introduce all his friends. I expect you to stay in your room during their stay, young man! Can't have you messing about and leave us sending perfectly well-behaved purebloods home with less intelligence! The _disgrace_ it would be if your shame proves catching! _Why_ can't you _ever_ take things _seriously_?! You're always _joking_ instead of being who you're meant to be."

Sirius' previously growing grin had dimmed, and though it was physically the same, the light and energy had disappeared. His chest expanded as he took a large breath, as if to clear away the hurt that the words planted in his chest. A glance into his mother's cold disapproving eyes told him he would only ever be at _fault_, the disappointing grey smear on the perfect pitch-black tapestry of their lives. "Mother, you of all people should know that I am always Sirius, and thus taking things Sirius-ly, I have never been Joe King, and have only ever been Sirius: me. Exactly as I am meant to be." his voice was devoid of the swirling jesting tone it had held only moments before, eyes dulled to an unemotional wall of slate.

Yet again, the failure of proper understanding of the words being communicated made itself startlingly clear as his mother merely curled her lip into a snarl and scoffed. "Away with you, get out of my sight! Kreecher will see to you. If I hear even the slightest _whisper_ of you whilst Regulus' friends are about...there will be a _reckoning_ from you father." She swept away without a backwards glance for her oldest son.

Sirius spared a moment to stare after her retreating back, wondering if maybe he should be someone else, find a different name - but no. He was always going to be _him_, the name wouldn't change it, and if his mother felt who he was did not meet _her_ expectations - well, the disappointment would not be a surprise to anyone. He shrugged his shoulders, as though to discard a heavy robe, and strode up the stares. Determinedly focused _away_ from his mother and on the fact that his brother, whom he'd thought hopeless, had a close friend who could roll with a joke.

Perhaps, were the war not about, Regulus would have been the Remus of the young Slytherin group. He seemed the more sensible type, and Sirius would have understood that. They could have been - not friends - rivals? Some sort of friend-_ish_ ties could have formed. It seemed he had slightly misjudged his brother on some level;_ "and that Slytherin bloke wasn't all bad"_. Perhaps, despite the Slytherin crest his brother bore, the little brother from before house rivalries tore the siblings apart was still in there.

As he opened the door to his room and stepped inside, he let out a long sigh. His red and gold room hangings, the pictures of his friends. All he had fought and been punished for. But still there. _"Little brother, I have found a new family, but if it's still you in there, under all that cloth and masks, I will still be yours."_


End file.
